MODULE 9

DIFFERENT STYLES OF LEARNING

Introduction
In the preceding module, you have learned about intelligence as a source of differences
among individuals. This module is about learning styles, also a source and factor that makes
individuals different from each other. A simplistic way to put it is that given the same learning
stimulus, students may not necessarily react to or deal with that stimulus in the same way.
As future teacher, you should not lose sight of the fact that you try your best to address the
needs of your students brought about by differences in intelligence, the same way if these
individual differences are brought about by differences in learning style.
This chapter tries to expound on the concept of learning style. It also presents the different
categories or types of learning styles as studied and espoused by experts and notable
educators in this area. As you will see later, there are several ways of identifying and
categorizing learning styles which may depend on the orientation and results of studies
conducted by several proponents. You will also come across descriptions of the learning
styles, which, hopefully, will enable you to identify the prevailing learning styles students
have. Knowing that learning styles students adapt, you will be able to choose and apply the
most appropriate instructional materials and techniques that affect student’s better
understanding and appreciation of the subject matter. More importantly, knowing your
students’ learning styles will enable you to guide and teach them how to effectively treat and
process information and other learning materials that come their way, using the best
approach they are comfortable with.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, you are expected to:

1. Discuss and explain the descriptions and meanings of learning style.

2. Determine the nature of learning styles and its impact on education.
3. Distinguish the different styles of learning.

Pre-test

Directions: Identify the answer to the following statements. Choose your answer from the
words enclosed in the box.
Learning style Reflective processors
Fluidity of learning styles Neil Fleming
Concrete perceivers Ferriman
Abstract perceivers Accommodator
Active processors

_______________ 1. The way in which the learner begins to concentrate, process, and retain
new and difficult information.
_______________ 2. It refers to the unique or particular way a person approaches learning
and studying. _______________ 3. It means that change in learning style can occur even
within the individual at different times.
______________ 4. Absorb information through direct experience by doing, acting, sensing, and
feeling.
______________ 5. Process information through analysis, observation and thinking.
______________ 6. Make sense of an experience by immediately using the new information.

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______________ 7. Make sense of the new information by reflecting on it and by thinking about it.
______________ 8. He proposes VARK model of learning.
______________ 9. According to him there are seven major learning styles.
______________10. This person uses concrete experience and active experimentation.

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LEARNING STYLE AND MEANINGS

Learning styles can be distinct, categorized, and identified in many ways.
Generally, they are overall patterns that provide direction to learning and
teaching. Learning style can also be described as a set of factors, behaviors, and attitudes
that facilitate learning for an individual in each situation.
• Learning styles are typically bipolar entities (for example reflective versus
impulsive, random versus sequential), representing two extremes of a
wide continuum; however, where a learner falls on the continuum is value
neutral because each extreme has its own potential advantages and
disadvantages (Dörnyei 2005).
• Sternberg and Grigorenko (2005), there are three main motivations for the interest
in the study of styles: ‘providing a link between cognition and personality;
understanding, predicting, and improving educational achievement; and improving
vocational selection, guidance, and possibly, placement’.
• Dunn and Dunn (2001, p. 1) define learning style as the way in which the learner
begins to concentrate, process, and retain new and difficult information (“Creating
an Enhanced Learning,” 2001).
• A learning style is not in itself ability but rather a preferred way of using one’s
abilities (Sternberg 1994).
• However, the extent to which individuals can extend or shift their styles to suit a
situation varies (Ehrman 1996).
• Proponents of learning styles assessment in instruction believe that learning styles
can be measured and used as a valuable teaching tool inside the classroom
(Sternberg, Grigorenko, and Zhang 2008).
THE FLUID NATURE OF LEARNING STYLES
Let us take a look at the nature of learning styles which teachers should have
a knowledge of because of their Implications on teaching and learning. The nature of
learning styles: (“Overview of Learning Styles,” 2018)
a. Each person prefers different learning styles and techniques.
b. Learning styles group common ways that people learn.
c. Everyone has a mix of learning styles.
d. One may use different styles in different circumstances.
e. There is no right mix of learning styles, nor is there a fixed learning style.
f. There is no “best” learning style, nor is there a “bad” learning style.
A look at these features, shows the fluidity of learning styles. It means that change in
learning style can occur even within the individual at different times. Learning style adopted
by an individual is not fixed; one may change learning styles across time and conditions.
Learning style is best defined as an approach to studying, understanding and
eventually, learning a material. The study of learning styles reveals that individuals perceive
and process information in very different ways. Variations in approach to learning may vary
among individuals, or even within the individuals. This may be explained by certain factors
associated with individual differences that come into play. These factors have to do with
her5edity (intellectual level), upbringing (child-rearing) and environmental demands (school
lessons). With these factors, it is expected that different individuals tend to perceive and
process information differently.

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Concrete Perceivers- Abstract Perceivers

absorb information – take in information
through direct experience, through analysis,
by doing, acting, sensing, observation, and
thinking.
.
andfeeling

VS

Active Processors- Reflective

make sense of an Processors - make
experience by immediately sense of an
using the new information. experience by
reflecting on and
thinking about it.

The Impact of Learning styles on Education

• When the teacher explains a topic in class, if a student uses auditory stimulates
that is to say if he chooses the material like tape, cassette, recorder while he is
playing, if he is not interested in drawings while reading, if he pays attention to
details during conversations, if he remembers what he heard, if he preferred
dialogues, he is probably an auditory student.
• If a student is moving constantly when he sits for a long time, if he asks for
permission to leave constantly and if he often stands up, he is probably a dynamic
student.
• Teaching methods should be considered that they are connected to the learning
styles of students using experiences and experimentation.
• Teachers should develop a good environment and create a learning styles of
gaining knowledge for effective ways of responding.
• Categorizing individuals can lead to assumption of fixed or rigid learning style
which can impair motivation to apply oneself to adapt.
• When an individual’s learning style is known it means that every individual is
different from each other. That is to say that the individual will create his own
learning style.
• Today’s education is student-centered, the tendency in teacher-centered
education commitment in the past still exists. Because of this, student’s interest,
expectations, and needs are ignored. But something which is remembered in
education process is the idea of that every individual behaves according to his
personal needs and that he is responsible from his learning. Because learning is
a personal process, this is to be one of the reasons that render learning style in
consideration in education and teaching process.
• Everyone has a mix learning styles. Some people may find that they have a
dominant style of learning, with less use of the other styles.
Generally, the most important among knowing the learning styles is how they can
adapt to the environment where they can learn effectively. Learners can discover wide range
of interesting and effective approaches to learning. Learners can enjoy feeling of success
and reduced stressed.

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CATEGORIES OR TYPES OF LEARNING STYLE VARK Model of Learning

1. Visual - Students who best internalize and synthesize information when it is

presented to them in a graphic depiction of meaningful symbols.
2. Auditory - Students are most successful when they are given the opportunity to
hear information presented to them vocally.
3. Reading/Writing – Students who best on taking notes or a reader.
4. Kinesthetic - Students are hands-on, participatory learners who need to take a
physically active role in the learning process to achieve their best educational
outcomes. They are the “tactile learners”.

Seven Learning Styles

1. Visual (spatial): Preference for using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
Teacher best employ the uses of visual media for these types of learners.
2. Aural (auditory-musical): Preference for using sound and music.
Techniques and methods including the use of sounds, and music in lesson will help
the learners actively participate.
3. Verbal (linguistic): Preference for using words, both in speech and writing.
Teacher can help the verbal learners through the use of verbal exchanging.
4. Physical (kinesthetic): Preference for using your body, hands, and sense of touch.
Teacher best employ the uses of hands-on method of learning for these types of
learners.
5. Logical (mathematical): Preference for using logic, reasoning, and systems.
Teacher should concentrate the use of analyzing materials to apply the higher-order
thinking skills.
6. Social (interpersonal): Preference to learn in groups or with other people.
Teacher should give a chance for these types of learner to work along with group.
7. Solitary (intrapersonal): Preference to work alone and use self-study.
Teacher should give an opportunity for these types of learner to work alone.

Kolb’s Basic Learning Styles

Concrete Experience Reflective Observation

(Experience
) (Reflection
)

Generalization Active Experimentation

(Conceptualize
) (Test)

Kolb’s four learning styles

a. Converging - People with a converging learning style are best at finding practical
uses for ideas and theories. They can solve problems and make decisions by finding
solutions to questions and problems. They are more attracted to technical tasks and
problems than social or interpersonal issues.
b. Diverging - These people are best at reflective and concrete experience; they can
look at things from different perspectives. They are sensitive. They prefer to watch
rather than do, tending to gather information and use imagination to solve problems.

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c. Assimilating - The assimilating learning preference involves a concise, logical

approach. Ideas and concepts are more important than people. They like to create
theoretical models.

d. Accommodating – These people relies on intuition rather than logic. They are best
in carrying out plans and experimentation. They rely on other information rather than
on themselves.

Honey and Mumford Learning Styles

These Learning styles were proposed by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford, based upon
the work of Kolb.

Activist Enjoys the experience itself

Reflector Spends a great deal of time and effort reflecting

Theorist Good of making connections and abstracting ideas from

experience
Pragmatist Enjoys planning stage
Li-Fang Zhang and Sternberg (Woolfolk, 2013) organized previous work on learning
stylesinto three traditions or groups:

Cognitive-centered styles Assess the ways people process information

Personality-centered styles
Activity-centered styles
They asses more stable personality traits as either being
extroverted or introverted or relying on thinking versus
feeling.
They asses a combination of cognition and personality
traits that affect how people approach activities, and as
such, this may be of more interest to teachers.

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ACTIVITY. IDENTIFYING THE LEARNING STYLE OF EACH

STUDENT RESPONSE

Name: ____________________ Yr. & Sec. _________________ Date: _____________

Directions: Assume that these activities are what the students use to accomplish a task.
Identify the learning style of each student response, by putting a check on the corresponding
learning style.
Task/Activity V A R K
1. Mario uses his maps to reply to the question on the location of Baguio City
with Manila as reference point.
2. Melanie prefers to read aloud a piece to have a feel of its rhythm.
3. Joey looks up in the dictionary the terms contained in the word problem
which he cannot understand, before he starts to solve the word problem.
4. Before doing the science experiment, Peter goes around the shelves in the
laboratory, picks up the lab instruments and examines each of them with his
hands.
5. The teacher asked the students to memorize “My Last Farewell” by Dr. Jose
Rizal, after which they were to deliver this poem in class. Ellen, first listened
to a voice recording of the poem, five times before starting to memorize it.
6. A teacher asked his students to write an essay entitled, “My Contribution to
World Peace.” Before writing the essay, Marie first read news clippings
related to world peace.
7. A teacher gave an assignment for the students to trace the flow of blood
from the heart to the other parts of the body, after which relates it to blood
pressure readings. Manny gets a model of a heart and studies it first before
tracing the blood flow of the body.
8. Teacher Jay grouped his class into four. One subgroup was sent outside the
classroom to work in the vegetable garden.
9. After listening to the speech of the speaker, students were able to gather
significant information which will be used for their project.
10. The students performed by themselves the task assigned to them after the
observation they made on the demonstration on martial arts.

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ASSESSMENT

Name: __________________ Yr. & Sec. _________________ Date: _________

Directions: Determine the dominant learning style or preference for learning that is shown
in each situation. (Use the seven categories)
Dominant
Classroom Situation Learning
Style
1. Emman answered the questions correctly about the digestive system after
he got a plastic model, and studied the different parts by touching them.
2. A poem was written on the board, after which questions were asked. Lorelie
gave a correct answer when asked by the teacher what the theme of the
poem was.
3. A nursery rhyme was played on audio recorder. Faye was able to memorize
the rhyme quickly.
4. An essay was printed on a board paper, which was distributed to all the
students in the class. Mario answered very well the comprehension
question about the essay after reading it.
5. Lito prefers to study a word problem alone rather than working with
classmates. When working alone, he can come up with his answers fast.
6. Raymond prefers to work on his mathematics problems together with his
classmates, rather than doing it alone. By working on the math problem
with classmates, he is able to discuss with them, enabling him to come up
with correct answers.
7. When Frank works on problems in engineering, he brings out his other
materials and consults other books, on which he prefers to them for more
information about the problem.
8. Mario was asked to assemble the different parts of an electric fan. Instead
of reading the manual first, he immediately proceeded to put the parts
together.
9. Lyn was able to memorize a song, only buy listening to a recording.
10. The class identified the sequence of events for the year 2020 through
pictures with captions.

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